Originally, the site was launched anonymously in 2008 after Silver had been posting statistical poll analysis as an anonymous diarist at the liberal blog Daily Kos, beginning in late 2007. Silver revealed his identity in May 2008.

FiveThirtyEight grew quickly during the 2008 election runup, and Silver was acclaimed for remarkably accurate predictions of the 2008 presidential election results.

Silver has said he started the site to fill in the gaps in data analysis and understanding among political journalists. During the 2008 election, his co-writer, Sean Quinn, supplemented Silver’s analysis with reporting on local campaign efforts. Currently a number of other statisticians, academics and other professionals contribute occasionally to the blog, which often reaches beyond politics into issues of public importance.

The newsonomics of how and why — Try this: Make a list with two simple columns. On the left, write Who, What, When, and Where. On the right column, write How and Why. Then, go to any news site — local, national, or global — or even to a print ne...

The St. Louis Beacon was a nonprofit online news organization that covers public affairs, health issues and the arts. It existed from 2008 through 2013, when it merged with St. Louis Public Radio. The Beacon was launched in 2008 by a group of former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporters and editors. Its initial funding was provided through…

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